1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to microprocessors and, more particularly, to power management of functional units of microprocessors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Power consumption of microprocessors is becoming an important concern for designers. First, the market for battery-powered systems (e.g., mobile systems) is expanding at a rapid rate, in which systems battery life is important and power is at a premium. Second, having complex designs and large on-chip caches, modern microprocessor chips can ill afford to overheat. Therefore, power consumption is a primary design factor that determines the commercial success of most modern microprocessor products.
Generally, microprocessors have one or more functional units, which execute instructions. These functional units in general and floating-point units (FPUs) in particular are the main culprits in power consumption of microprocessors.
Therefore, a need exists for reducing power consumption in the functional units of microprocessors without affecting the performance. Additionally, there is a need for reducing cooling demand. Further, there is a need for reducing device junction temperature for improved reliability.